自家魚片粥

The one ingredient I really enjoy cooking with- fish. I like it in various forms. I've been in the mood to cook fish recently. I like to use fish as fresh as possible, and not out of the freezer. They can sit in the chiller for a day at the most. Not keen on using frozen fish. The wet markets aren't very far, and even though I don't drive, with a little planning, I could get to any one at a super decent timing of 9am and pick up some top quality items.

Since I love congee so much, there would be a pot of fish or minced beef congee on the stove on various days. The stock is as important as the choices of fish used. It was a little scary that evening- I wasn't exactly expecting guests, so I didn't push the guests to confirm if they wanted food. The friends didn't know if they could leave the office on time; they didn't expect to be fed and didn't want to trouble us. They wanted to visit, get a drink and chat, thinking they would grab a sandwich after.

We fed them anyway. They managed to get away from the office and came at 7pm. Dinner-time. We love these friends, and would welcome them anytime at our dining table. The only issue that evening- the main food of congee was cooked to MY preferences. I had planned to do congee and didn't exactly cook for anyone else. So if my guests didn't like grouper or red snapper or fish in general, didn't like thick congee or this type of stock, then they would hate it. Hahahaha. There was also a random plate of stir-fried spinach to balance out nutritional quotas. Sambal belachan was always available anyway. #ImpieCooks2017

Congee seemed to be a hit. We had two bowls each and cleaned out the pot. Scooped out preserved Chinese olives (橄榄菜) at the side. The salt could help to boost the flavors! Hehehe. One friend is simply not a congee or porridge person; luckily for him, there were brown rice, and chicken and lamb in the fridge that could simply be steamed hot and served.

I can't claim expertise. My type of cooking produces food that is nothing to be raved about, and nothing special. They're just what people churn out for daily meals. There's no way my skills could elevate these dishes to an art form. It's all about what decent items the pots could produce to toss into the stomach to keep it happy.